Brian Stanley has accused Mary Lou McDonald of abusing Dáil privilege in remarks she made about him.
The former Sinn Féin TD resigned from the party last weekend for reasons which are still unclear.
In yet another day of controversy for Sinn Féin, Brian Stanley accused the party of inaccurate statements and insinuation.
Following his surprise resignation on Saturday night, party leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil on Tuesday that a complaint had been made against the Laois/Offally TD which was very serious and left the complainant traumatised and distressed.
In a statement to Laois Today on Tuesday night, Brian Stanley said Sinn Féin has the clear intention of damaging his reputation to shift the spotlight off the party.
He added a garda investigation is ongoing on foot of serious matters he brought forward and refuted any complaint against him.
He said Mary Lou McDonald's Dáil statement revealed what he termed the level of double standards that now operate and pertain in the party.
Senator's departure
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that he accepted that the full information was not provided to the Dáil in relation to the departure of Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile from the party.
“But I also accept that people now know why that full information was not provided. It is important to state that Niall Ó Donnghaile faced the full rigours of the party, he lost his job, he lost his position within the party, and he was referred for a criminal investigation to the PSNI and social services.
"Sinn Féin carried out this in relation to the processes in terms of child protection and to the letter and indeed we were commended by the PSNI in relation to the fact that the and the victim in this stated that they were content with how Sinn Féin handled this issue.
Mr Doherty said that any comparison between the public reference given to Niall Ó Donnghaile and the reference given by party press officers for Michael McMonagle was “outrageous and not acceptable.”
One was a reference to somebody who was investigated for child abuse and was later convicted, while in the other case Sinn Féin alerted the PSNI and Social Services and asked for an investigation in relation to “inappropriate behaviour.”
The comparison is utterly, in my view, disgraceful
“The comparison is utterly, in my view, disgraceful. And I make that point again. And your attempt to try and conflate an issue of very serious child abuse with an issue in relation to Niall who sent inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old, where we reported that to the PSNI and the social services, and they told us that there was no illegality or criminality, no further investigation or finding in that regard, and Niall suffered the consequences of that because that was not acceptable to us, that his behaviour was not acceptable.
"So therefore, he lost his position. He lost his job. He lost his membership of Sinn Féin. And as I have outlined on numerous occasions in this interview, and as Mary Lou has done herself, we were also dealing with somebody who was in the middle of a profound health crisis, somebody who was on leave from the Oireachtas in relation to his sick leave, certified by a medical professional. And we had to take that into consideration in relation not only to his mental health, but also in terms of his safety.”
Mr Doherty dismissed as “nonsense” a claim by former Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley that remarks by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald were a desperate attempt to shift the focus from Sinn Féin's own failed procedures.
Mr Stanley’s claim that he had been subjected to a kangaroo court was also rejected.
“Let's make it clear, Brian was in attendance at the inquiry with the solicitor and his barrister. Our process is independent. It's arm's length, and it is overseen by a practising barrister. So I understand Brian is obviously in a difficult spot. He is lashing out. We have not put the details of his complaint into the public record.
"It would not be appropriate, but it is for Brian to come forward and to be transparent if he still wishes. But that's an issue for himself that he now needs to question whether he wants to make it clear as to what the inquiry was and why he responded when he got the preliminary report from the party in the way that he did, which was to resign from the party, and also why he didn't bring issues that he brought to our attention in the middle of the inquiry to the attention of the Garda, which he had in his possession for about a year.”
Mr Doherty also explained that the reason why Ms McDonald had not been aware of the complaint against Brian Stanley until recently had been because the process was “arm’s length” and it would not have been appropriate for her to be informed until it was concluded.
There was no issue in relation to child protection in the case of Mr Stanley as there had been with Michael McMonagle.
'Culture of concealment'
Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers has criticised the “culture of concealment” within Sinn Féin and said there were serious and fundamental issues with the governance of the party.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Chambers said it was clear that, as a party, Sinn Féin was putting the interests of the party above those of people, and that he believed Ms McDonald’s leadership was “seriously questionable.
“It is a party that purports to propose itself as a party of change. But if they're not fit to govern their own affairs, how are they fit to run a government? They clearly can't be trusted. And it shows a total disrespect and disregard to the Oireachtas just in how they've acted in recent years. The behaviour of Sinn Féin has been a disgrace.
“I don't think Mary Lou McDonald is fit to lead any government. She clearly has no control of her own party's affairs and is putting all aspects of Sinn Féin as a party and their interests over the public," he said.
“Leadership is about doing the right thing in the public interest and being able to govern your own party and to promote the party's position to the public. And clearly, she's been incapable of doing that and has brought that culture of concealment to the management of these affairs, which I think raises very serious questions for Sinn Féin whenever the next election is held.”
On Morning Ireland, the leader of the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns said that Sinn Féin and Mary Lou McDonald still have questions to answer in relation to Brian Stanley and why the issue had not been referred to gardaí until last weekend, when they had known the details for a year.
Ms Cairns asked why, under the circumstances, Mr Stanley remained as the chair of “the most powerful committee in the Dáil”, the Public Accounts Committee which is charged with holding people to account.
